


Brave Enough To Love You

by Xylianna



Series: Xy's 100 Ways Challenge [28]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dancing, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Prince!Gladio, Shield!Noctis, advisor!luna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 07:11:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17824244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xylianna/pseuds/Xylianna
Summary: Gladio and Luna have loved each other for years. Will they be brave enough to admit it to each other?





	Brave Enough To Love You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Gladio Rarepair Week Day 7 prompt: Devotion
> 
> Also fulfills the 100 Ways Challenge prompt: "I believe in you."
> 
> My thanks to the amazing [aliatori](http://archiveofourown.org/users/aliatori) for her beta-san eyes <3

Blinking in surprise, Lunafreya reached to turn on a lamp. When did it get so late? She looked her watch and winced to find today had become tomorrow while she worked her way through her email queue. Well, the rest would have to wait for tomorrow. She would do Gladio no good if she was exhausted and running on coffee fumes and prayers.

After locking up her office, she made her way to the quarters granted her at the Citadel itself. While Luna was always welcome in her room at the Nox Fleuret home, she was grateful she had the option on unexpectedly late nights like tonight. Pulling her phone from her pocket as she waked, Luna typed out a quick email to Gladio that would be delivered an hour after his morning alarm, reminding him about the special fundraiser luncheon being held tomorrow for the Galahd relief effort. She was pretty sure that he remembered - Gladio made her job easy by being so attentive to his ever-changing calendar - but a reminder never hurt. 

After sliding into her covers and settling herself against her soft pillows, Luna spared a thought for how lucky she was to have been chosen at such a young age to be Prince Gladio’s Royal Advisor. Her duty was her life, and had been for many years, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. But she’d be lying if she said it was all work and no play; Gladio was an intelligent and engaging man, and one that Luna was proud to call her friend. Probably her best friend, in truth, though Crowe came in a close second. But Gladio just _got_ her in ways her other friends didn’t. He didn’t mind when she rambled for hours after finishing a book she’d already read a dozen times, he didn’t laugh when she covered her eyes during the gorey parts of movies. And she admired him so much. Sure, he had his moments - who didn’t? - but overall, he embraced his duty with a will, doing King Clarus proud. Although…

Recently Luna had started to notice an unusual malaise settling over Gladio like an ill-fitting cloak, itchy with expectations and tight with obligations. He’d been spending more time at the apartment Clarus allowed him to get away from the Citadel for his eighteenth birthday, and everyone was starting to worry at the growing distance between him and his family. The last time Luna had stopped over there, she had found dirty dishes in the sink and dirty laundry spilling out the hamper. Normally Gladio was an extremely neat person, so this combined with his skipping out on dinners with his family and dodging plans with his friends had her worried.

She’d watch. And she’d be there for him as best she could.

After all, she _was_ head over heels in love with the man. This went far beyond her duty. It might not be proper for her to declare her feelings, but she could at least take the best care of Gladio possible. For Luna it was destined to be actions, not words, that expressed her unrequited feelings.

If she could just see him happy again, it would be enough.

* * *

When Gladio’s alarm went off, he muttered a curse he’d picked up from Nyx (‘shitting Astrals’) and slapped at it until it stopped. Another day, another plethora of responsibilities. When Gladio was younger, it didn’t seem to weigh so heavily upon him. But the older he got - the older he watched his dad get - the harder it got to put on a happy face and juggle all the plates without breaking any.

He caught a glance of his face in profile in his bathroom mirror and winced. His beard needed trimming, and that he could take care of after his shower. But he had no magic fix for the bags underneath amber eyes wrought by stress-induced sleeplessness. Maybe he could put in some extra hours training today; solid exercise might wear him out enough to get a decent night’s sleep for a change.

After he’d showered, tended to his beard, dressed, and eaten breakfast, Gladio checked his phone. Only one new message, a reminder from Lunafreya about today’s charity event. Gladio grimaced - he thought it was next week. His hopes for an extended gym session froze like a Blizzard spell had encased them. The event went for three hours, which meant the rest of his afternoon would be pushed back and he’d be lucky to be home for dinner.

 _That_ thought caused a whole new flood of guilt to surge through him. Gladio decided he wouldn’t go home tonight, he’d stay at the Citadel and eat with Clarus and Iris. He hadn’t been spending nearly enough time with them, and Iris wasn’t shy about letting him know with a constant stream of text messages that ranged from passive aggressive nagging to forced cheer about the next time they could hang. Gladio fired off a quick text to his sister, knowing he’d pass it along to both their dad and Jared, ensuring a place would be set for him in the Amicitia private dining room that evening. After a moment’s reflection, he sent another, adding Lunafreya to the guest list. He knew Clarus never minded if Luna came along, and if Gladio knew his Advisor at all - which he did quite well, since Luna was one of his best friends - she had been getting by on as little sleep as he was. Plus for all that she mocked his youthful Cup Noodles addiction (which was still an occasional guilty pleasure, if he was being honest), she ate horribly when left to her own devices. He had yet to get her to realize that a bag of microwave popcorn and a glass of merlot was not a balanced dinner. At least by eating with his family, she’d get some proper food for once.

Maybe it was Luna’s job to be his caretaker, but as they grew older, Gladio found himself stepping into that role for his Advisor more and more. He came to anticipate the rush of giddy pleasure that filled him when he got her to eat a balanced meal or go to bed on time. He savored the days he successfully got her to put work aside and go off to the movies or the park or anywhere that wasn’t the inside of her office. Luna wasn’t _exactly_ a workaholic, but she sometimes needed a reminder that playtime was important, too. Gladio respected how diligently she tended to her duties - to _him_ \- but had made it his mission to get her to have more fun.

She deserved it… and so much more. If only Gladio would be allowed to give it to her.

The Six only knew he had _tried_ not to fall in love with Luna. Gladio had argued with himself that it was simple a matter of proximity, of spending so much time together. It was how she always seemed to know what he needed before he asked, how she could keep up with his intelligent mind and challenge it with her own.

He knew he had to put the needs of Lucis about his own desires, and someday he’d be called up to marry a ‘suitable’ woman and continue the Amicitia line. Gladio had resigned himself to never speaking up, not having the luxury of ‘normal’ people who could follow their hearts.

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy the time he had with her. If he daydreamed sometimes that he could be bound to her for the rest of his life, well… he kept that to himself.

* * *

These society functions were all the same. Were they more comparable to a dance, like the mating display of the chickatrice? Or more akin to a game of chess? Lunafreya was trying to decide, her internal ruminations keeping her eyes bright while the ancient nobleman droned on about tax rates from a hundred years ago. It wasn’t that his information was boring. In fact, Luna found such intricate, mundane facts to be an interesting picture into the lives of their predecessors. But he could at least tell it with a little verve.

Her thoughts wandered, no longer mulling over the nature of high society. Sunbeams shining in through painted glass caused rainbows to refract across the ballroom. Luna saw Gladio standing in one patch of prismatic light and spared a moment to admire the way it picked up the highlights in his hair. When he met her eyes and winked conspiratorially, she felt a blush heat her cheeks and looked away. She had a job to do, after all, and staring at the Crown Prince like a besotted fool wasn’t in its description.

Luna circulated and joined conversations as she flowed through the crowd, a word here, a smile there. She picked up the pulse of the assembled peerage and paid close attention for any sign of dissent but found none today. No, Clarus’s own Chamberlain had done an exceptional job with the guest list. None were here who were overtly opposed to aiding the province of Galahd, though Luna was jaded enough to realize that no amount of fancy parties and fundraising was going to loosen the Imperial noose from around its neck.

Trays of food gave way to trays of spirits, and Lunafreya narrowly suppressed a roll of her eyes. It was half three, by the Six. But she had to admire the canniness of the salvo. The drink would encourage higher donations and freer speaking.

It wasn’t until the Altissian string quartet began playing from their corner that she noticed her best friend, Crowe. Luna spared a brief moment to indulge in envy of her friend as she watched her whirl about the dance floor with Nyx. Both were in the Kingsglaive, with no rules about fraternization as long as they fulfilled the duties. They were free to dance and kiss and stare into each other’s eyes in front of all and sundry, while Luna…

She cleared her throat. _No more of those thoughts_ , she scolded herself. Focusing on her duty should help. Looking around the room, it was easy to find Gladio dancing with Princess Iris. He dwarfed his little sister, standing easily over a foot taller than her. In any other man, the way Gladio stooped down to get closer to her shorter height would look ungainly. He just made it look… caring. Considerate.

And, Astrals, it was good to see him smiling like that. For the first time in months, Luna could find not hint of malaise in his amber eyes. His smile was genuine and lit up his handsome face so brightly that Luna couldn’t help but smile herself as she watched the siblings dance.

On the opposite side of the room, she saw Noctis Caelum, the Prince’s Shield. His twilight gaze met hers as he lifted a hand in salute. She nodded at him in acknowledgement, but knew better than to go engage him in conversation. While they were in the heart of the Citadel and the event attended by a thoroughly vetted guest list, Noctis would never take either of those facts as a reason to relax his vigil. He, like Luna, lived for his duty. Perhaps he more so than she, as he was born into his role, the Caelum line having served the Amicitias for generations.

“Hey, Luna.” The soft rumble of Gladio’s voice broke Luna from her reverie. She smoothed back a lock of her hair that was already perfectly in place, trying to buy herself a moment to regain her equilibrium.

“Gladiolus.” She curtsied gracefully. “Are you enjoying the gala?”

“More than you, looks like,” he quipped, grinning. “I think I tired Iris out. Dance with me?”

Luna’s heart leaped into her throat. She had made hiding her feelings for Gladio into an art form, subsuming longing into attentiveness, siphoning unrequited passion into late nights and hard work.

But how was she to hide how she felt, wrapped in his strong arms?

“Of course,” she said crisply, her Tenebraean accent a thick and welcome cover over the hint of tremulous in her timbre. She held out an arm, and arched an eyebrow as if to say ‘I’m waiting’.

And then he took her hand, led her out into the center of the ballroom, wrapped his other arm around her waist, and they _danced_.

Surely he heard the thunderous pounding of her heart. Certainly he noticed the color that had risen along her cheekbones and her rapid, shallow breaths. As for Luna, she could scarcely feel the marble beneath her shoes; she felt like she was floating, dreaming.

For she was in Gladio’s arms, the recipient of that warm-whiskey stare, and she wished this moment could last forever.

* * *

If Gladio could have danced while standing still, he would have, for he feared if he moved the wrong way he’d wake up. This had to be a dream. Luna fit perfectly in his arms. Her hand in his felt as smooth as spun-glass. Her deep azure gown billowed around her lithe frame like a sylleblossom at high summer, but Gladio knew the daintiness was a mask.

There was steel beneath that silk.

He abruptly realized he was staring, and was grateful that his sun-bronzed complexion would help mask the blush heating his face. Should he say something? Should he smile? Crack a joke? Do something to ease the inexorable tension that was coiling between them, around them, turning the air to jelly-like thickness that was hard to breathe and impossible to swallow? Astrals, this shouldn’t be so difficult. With a gulp he prayed wasn’t audible, Gladio pushed the lump from his throat. “Do you like the music?”

She blinked at him in clear confusion over the random query. “Yes? It’s quite nice. I believe this ensemble has been hired before, and to good effect.”

They spun out from each other, connected only at the hands, as they moved like spokes on a wheel, or maybe cogs in a clock, part of the greater whole created by the dancing throngs to keep the gala ticking. “I suggested it.”

The ghost of a smile canted unpainted lips, though her eyes still shone with bewilderment. “Well done.”

“Remembered you liked it,” Gladio muttered, cursing himself for his inability to find the eloquence he craved. Shitting Astrals, Nyx and Noct both would torment him for days if they could overhear how he stuttered, and that would be nothing compared to the roasting from Crowe. It was unnerving to be so honest. It made him feel vulnerable. But if he couldn’t be vulnerable with Luna, then with who?

His words, inelegant or not, earned him a beaming smile. “How considerate of you. My thanks.”

The chorus wove back to the melody and with locked eyes, their hands slid over forearms and up to shoulders, their bodies moving close, scarcely a whisper between them as they resumed the primary pattern of the dance.

“How much longer you think we gotta stay here so we don’t seem rude?” Gladio asked with a hint of a roguish grin. He carefully spun her under his upraised arm, and she took careful steps within the pirouette, carrying her forward, and then back, until her back was pressed to his chest.

As lovely as it was to feel the press of her from knee to sternum, Gladio’s attention was drawn to the way her firm rear shifted against his groin. It couldn’t be intentional. It had to be due to the way the steps of the dance carried them. He took a deep breath and tried to think of anything but the feel of her body against his. Another breath and they stepped apart, spun, and resumed the first position.

“Ah, well.” Seemed it was Luna’s turn to stutter. And was she blushing? It seemed Gladio wasn’t the only one affected by their dance. “I suppose you’ve done your time,” she finally managed with a crooked grin. “After this song, let’s bid your father and sister farewell and check in with Noctis.” That Tenebraean crispness was so heavy in her voice, Gladio wondered if she was doing it on purpose. “I believe the rest of the afternoon your schedule is free, until dinner. Where do you wish to go?”

“I know just the place.”

* * *

The minute Gladio stopped in front of the oaken bench, he doubted his decision. Luna had been in the royal gardens just as often as Gladio over the years, though perhaps not often as of late. He should have taken her somewhere else, or let her take off or the day. He could have sparred with Noctis, or caught up on reports.

But when Luna turned a brilliant smile in his direction, Gladio’s doubts drifted away like chaff on the wind.

Long fingers trailed over the back of the bench, her blue-tipped nails a bright contrast to the faded wood. “This is the section of the garden your mother designed,” she said quietly. “I haven’t been out here in months.” Smoothing her skirt carefully beneath herself, she sat, scanning the verdant foliage and riotous blooms. “It’s a lovely afternoon to sit surrounded by flowers. I wish I had a book!” she chuckled.

Gladio sat beside her, careful to leave a handwidth of space between their hips. “I used to help her tend it, when I was younger. Now the staff has apoplexy if I so much as pull a weed.” He lay his arm along the back of the bench and immediately wished he hadn’t. The way she pressed her shoulders against it was clearly intentional, but it was hard for Gladio not to misconstrue the friendly gesture as something more. Especially after that dance, when her eyes had been so deep and compelling, when it almost seemed like maybe she cared for him the way he did for her.

 _Keep it light, Amicitia._ “As much as I love to read, I thought we could talk.” _Bad idea. Bad, bad idea._

She cocked her head to one side curiously, still smiling. “About what?”

He racked his brain quickly for a topic, any topic, anything at all he could say that wasn’t comparing her to the flowers surrounding them or professing his deepest emotions. “Did you have fun at the gala?” That should be safe enough. She’d give some rote answer about doing her duty and he could push the memory of how she felt in his arms out of his mind.

Surprisingly, pink dusted her cheeks. “It was fine,” she said in a rush, the Tenebraean thick in her voice again. Her eyes looked anywhere but at him, and when she spoke again, it was with a smoothness more like her usual tone. “I believe I made some good connections before the dancing started.”

“Did you enjoy the dancing?” his lips and tongue moved without his permission asking the dangerous question, though he thought he framed it innocuously enough. It wasn’t as if she could read his mind, after all.

Her blush deepened and she became focused on studying a spray of alstroemeria. “It was nice,” she murmured to the multi colored blooms.

Gladio let his hand curl towards her shoulder, dared to play with the tendril of hair that escaped her up-do. “So did I.” Maybe it was foolhardy, but to hell with it. He was pretty good at reading people. Perhaps his ‘read’ on her was off due to his own hopes and feelings, but there was only one way to find out. Besides, even if it didn’t go his way, at least then he’d know. He tried to ignore the voice maliciously reminding him that even if she did reciprocate his feelings, they could never act on it.

Or could they?

Nox Fleuret was not as ancient as House Amicitia or Caelum, but it _was_ a noble house. Luna was well liked by the rest of the Council, and Gladio’s family. She was popular with the common citizens too, due to her work with refugees and projects like the Galahd relief fundraisers.

Maybe the answer to the problem causing dread to burrow deeper inside Gladio with each passing day was sitting right next to him.

But… maybe she didn’t feel the same way.

Taking a deep breath that he hoped wasn’t too audible, he turned towards her, lifting his arm from the backrest and taking both her hands in his. Maybe this display of bravery would be enough to get Noctis to stop lecturing him on that point, gracious knew Gladio was terrified right now, but he was determined to speak his mind.

To speak his heart.

“Luna, I… well, you see, the Council has been pushing me to get engaged. It’s one reason I’ve been in such a foul mood lately. Hard to relax when a new debutante dossier is being sent to your desk every day, yeah?” _Fucking shit, stop babbling, Amicitia._ He wet his lips with his tongue, wishing he had a gallon of water to drink, his mouth and throat felt so dry.

“I imagine that would be disconcerting, Gladio, but it can’t be surprising. You’re the royal heir; you have to continue the royal line.” A subtle furrow marred the skin between her eyebrows, and Gladio recognized it as the expression she wore when deep in thought. “Why bring this up now?” Her fingers tightened against his as she stared up at him.

His thumbs rubbed the sides of her hands soothingly. “It’s just… you’re such a big part of my life.”

A sardonic quirk of her lips. “And I shall be even after you are wed.”

He swore under his breath. Why was he trying to circle the issue? That wasn’t his way. Gladio was known for his plain speaking and blunt honesty. If he was gonna do this, he was gonna do it his way, and well, he could pick up the pieces later if it went to hell. Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek.

“I love you, Lunafreya.”

Her hands jerked in his grip and her jaw dropped. “I… you… _what_?” Her cerulean eyes narrowed and she successfully yanked her hands out of his. “You’re having me on. You’re making fun of me. This is _not_ funny, Gladiolus.” That Tenebraean lilt was a razor’s edge now, her words as sharp as blades. She lifted her chin, eyes blazing. “Speaking of your imminent betrothal and then moments later confessing your love for me… what, is this your way of practicing for when you say it for real?” It was bitterness filling that sylleblossom gaze, highlighted by the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

“No!” he said, reaching out to wrap both his hands around one of hers and squeeze it. Astrals, she was trembling. He was doing this all wrong. “I’m handling this badly, Luna. I’m sorry.” He laughed. “I never imagined I’d say those words out loud, and then when I do I make a mess of it.”

One golden brow quirked, and Gladio was glad to see her tears drying before they even began to fall. “Try again, then.” This time it was she who reached out, wrapping both of her delicate hands around one of his, fingertips tracing over his knuckles and calluses as she maintained intense eye contact. “I believe in you.”

Gladio used his free hand to remove the pins from her hair, combing his fingers through the silken locks until he was certain he’d gotten them all. He tucked it behind her ears, and cupped her cheeks, smiling at her tenderly before speaking again. “I love you, Lunafreya. I have for years. I’m just sorry it took me this long to say it… this long to realize that it could actually work.”

“But can it?” she interrupted, eyes going grave and smile withering. “I’m your retainer. People will talk.”

“You’re the daughter of a noble family and you’ve devoted your entire life to serving the crown.” His thumb slid over her cheekbone softly, and his heart soared when she turned to nuzzle it. “The only people who are gonna protest will be the ones that see just how good a match we make, when they were hoping to marry their own daughters off to me.”

“But, Gladiolus… we’re talking marriage, and we’ve never been on a date. Never kissed.” Her eyes were wide and luminous, but her expression had turned sly. How one woman could look so hopeful and so sly simultaneously was beyond Gladio, but it made him love her even more.

“The former, I’ll fix tomorrow. I’m taking you to dinner.” Gladio grinned, sliding his hand from her hair to cup her other cheek. “The latter…”

He leaned in slowly, wanting to savor this moment. When his lips brushed against hers, feather-soft and questing, it was electric. He did it again, and heard her breath shudder out in a sigh one heartbeat before she was crashing her mouth into his, no longer content with the gentle, tentative touches. Her arms wrapped around him, and he continued to cradle her face tenderly in his wide-palmed hands; their lips and tongues told the depth of their love without words.

Gladio felt happier than he had in a long while. He felt hope about the future, and a renewed determination to live his best life, to take care of himself as well as his duties and responsibilities.

And he would do it all at Luna’s side.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are love! <3


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